Jennifer Rushall
President, 
Scoliosis Association of San Diego

HI! Thanks for supporting Scoliosis! 

I am 29 years old and born and raised in San Diego California. At the age of eight, I was diagnosed with severe Scoliosis/Kyphosis and Charcot Marie Tooth Disease. I walked on my tippie-toes for as long as I could remember, but it was a P.E teacher at my school who noticed it was more than just a bad habit. The doctors did not want to operate because I was so little but because of the degree of the curves they had no choice. My first back surgery was when I was 10. At this time I had a 58* Scoliosis curve and a 98* kyphosis curve.

I wore the Milwalkee, TLSO and Boston back braces and AFO's (leg braces), before and after each of my many surgeries. This includes having rods put in at the age of twelve and having them removed due to a staph infection less than a year later. Other complications included a collapsed lung,  severe drop foot and a hump in my back from the old rods. 

As a child my limitations did not stop me often, in between surgeries I went to school, got good grades, participated in our school's Jr. Olympics and later joined the Drama Club. Other people's ignorance did stop me on occasion. I was often taunted and bullied because of my differences. 

My last surgery was when I was sixteen. My doctor was a pediatric doctor  and I hadn't had any problems lately and so, like many of us, I tried to forget about it.  It worked for a little while, but eventually I began having a lot more pain in my back. I found a new Scoliosis doctor but I really wanted someone who could understand how I felt, to talk to.